Kamen: The New Moon in the Old Moon's Arms

Track Listings

1. 1,000 AD

2. 1,000 AD

3. The Prayer

4. The Prayer

5. Moonlight

6. Moonlight

7. 2,000 AD

8. Iris

9. Cole's Tune

10. Marking Homework

11. Rowen

12. Finale

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Michael Kamen is a multitalented, multifaceted musician. Though originally classically trained, he soon turned to writing in other styles and is now famous mostly for his film scores, several of which have won prestigious awards and nominations. He has been credited with successfully bridging the gap between the worlds of classical and pop music, and The New Moon, commissioned by the National Symphony Orchestra and Leonard Slatkin to celebrate the new millennium, is described as "his first classical symphony." Inspired by the history of the Anasazi people, Native Americans who lived in the Southwest and vanished 1,000 years ago, and the legacy they left in paintings on the canyon walls, its only "symphonic" feature is the recurrent use of a lead-theme given to the solo flute and solo cello, which symbolize certain characters in the Anasazi story. Unfortunately, the theme, based on a three-note figure, is used mostly in endless sequences. The piece alternates solemn chorales with increasingly wild dances Kamen calls "Scherzos"; the orchestration is lush and overloaded but effective, thanks mostly to the excellent soloists. Mr. Holland's Opus--An American Symphony is drawn from the soundtrack to the film of the same name. Despite its title, it hardly resembles a symphony, and it is difficult to take the bombastic, grandiloquent Finale seriously as representing the masterpiece of the film's protagonist, an idealistic young teacher and ambitious composer. Calling this music "classical" is a condescending misrepresentation and a disservice to its composer. Rather, it should be accepted for itself and its own real qualities: pleasant, singable melodies, simple, tonal harmonies, luxuriant orchestration, spicily rhythmical, humorous Scherzos. Clearly, Michael Kamen writes what's in his ear and heart, and he deserves respect for his courage and honesty. --Edith Eisler

Washington Post
"New Moon is Kamen's latest effort to demolish musical barriers, barriers that to him never existed."

Album Description
Michael Kamen's latest work The New Moon in the Old Moon's Arms is a symphonic poem inspired by the history of the Native American Anasazi people who mysteriously vanished almost 1000 years ago. They had lived until then in what's now New Mexico, Colorado and Nevada; and without the wheel or horse, they built complex homes, miles of long, straight roads and astronomical observatories. They also produced wonderful artistic visions on the canyon walls, including Kokopelli, the hump-backed flute player. The title of the album is quoted from an Iroquai Indian who Kamen met as a little boy and symbolizes "a glimpse of the future in the light of the past." As a committed humanist and a devotee to the American Indian, Kamen chose to mark the new millennium with a symphony that tells a story about the past that makes us consider the future with a message of compassion and humanity.

Also on the album is Mr. Holland's Opus - An American Symphony. It has been arranged from the original music composed by Kamen for the critically acclaimed film "Mr. Holland's Opus", starring Richard Dreyfuss. The symphony features Leila Josefowicz on "Cole's Tune" (track 9). It was recorded in London in the Summer of 2000 with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Leonard Slatkin.

Kamen: The New Moon in the Old Moon's Arms

Kamen: The New Moon in the Old Moon's Arms, Music, David Hardy, Michael Kamen, Leonard Slatkin, Michael Kamen, Toshiko Kohno, Phil Palmer, BBC Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, Simon Mulligan, Leila Josefowicz, Classical, Classical Music, Jazz, Orchestral, Orchestral & Symphonic, Orchestral Music, Symphonic, Symphony

Kamen: The New Moon in the Old Moon's Arms
Average customer rating:

Thank you Michael Kamen

The Memory That Outlasts the Years

Absolutely Wonderful

Orchestral Kokopelli

Higly enjoyable and very derivative

Kamen: The New Moon in the Old Moon's Arms

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000056PRE
Release Date: 2001-01-30

Tracks:

1,000 AD
1,000 AD
The Prayer
The Prayer
Moonlight
Moonlight
2,000 AD
Iris
Cole's Tune
Marking Homework
Rowen
Finale

Amazon.com

Michael Kamen is a multitalented, multifaceted musician. Though originally classically trained, he soon turned to writing in other styles and is now famous mostly for his film scores, several of which have won prestigious awards and nominations. He has been credited with successfully bridging the gap between the worlds of classical and pop music, and The New Moon, commissioned by the National Symphony Orchestra and Leonard Slatkin to celebrate the new millennium, is described as "his first classical symphony." Inspired by the history of the Anasazi people, Native Americans who lived in the Southwest and vanished 1,000 years ago, and the legacy they left in paintings on the canyon walls, its only "symphonic" feature is the recurrent use of a lead-theme given to the solo flute and solo cello, which symbolize certain characters in the Anasazi story. Unfortunately, the theme, based on a three-note figure, is used mostly in endless sequences. The piece alternates solemn chorales with increasingly wild dances Kamen calls "Scherzos"; the orchestration is lush and overloaded but effective, thanks mostly to the excellent soloists. Mr. Holland's Opus--An American Symphony is drawn from the soundtrack to the film of the same name. Despite its title, it hardly resembles a symphony, and it is difficult to take the bombastic, grandiloquent Finale seriously as representing the masterpiece of the film's protagonist, an idealistic young teacher and ambitious composer. Calling this music "classical" is a condescending misrepresentation and a disservice to its composer. Rather, it should be accepted for itself and its own real qualities: pleasant, singable melodies, simple, tonal harmonies, luxuriant orchestration, spicily rhythmical, humorous Scherzos. Clearly, Michael Kamen writes what's in his ear and heart, and he deserves respect for his courage and honesty. --Edith Eisler

Album Description

Michael Kamen's latest work The New Moon in the Old Moon's Arms is a symphonic poem inspired by the history of the Native American Anasazi people who mysteriously vanished almost 1000 years ago. They had lived until then in what's now New Mexico, Colorado and Nevada; and without the wheel or horse, they built complex homes, miles of long, straight roads and astronomical observatories. They also produced wonderful artistic visions on the canyon walls, including Kokopelli, the hump-backed flute player. The title of the album is quoted from an Iroquai Indian who Kamen met as a little boy and symbolizes "a glimpse of the future in the light of the past." As a committed humanist and a devotee to the American Indian, Kamen chose to mark the new millennium with a symphony that tells a story about the past that makes us consider the future with a message of compassion and humanity.

Customer Reviews:

Thank you Michael Kamen.......2004-04-06

I first discovered Michael Kamen's music when i purchased the soundtrack for "Mr Holland's opus"(A portion of which is on this disc).In an era when tax levies are being failed left and right and music programs are the first to go by the wayside, I wish we could count on his guidance one again, may he rest in peace. His frequent pleas to save music programs will be his true legacy.
On to this delightful disc. New moon in the old moon's arms is a curious blend of styles and time periods that begs to be cranked up on the stero. A true delight for the senses! Right now I am trying to find all of his works for my collection that are still available.

The Memory That Outlasts the Years.......2004-02-19

Let me make it clear--if you want an objective or "expert" review, seek elsewhere, because this won't be it. Rather, this is a very emotional reflection upon the music, its composer, and the value it holds to me. I had the chance to observe Michael Kamen on his Internet forum for a few days before his unexpected death in November 2003, and this certainly seems to capture what I learned about who he was. I feel that even this "fleeting glimpse" accentuates the response I have to this album even more...but it's undeniable that the quality of the work itself has a lot to do with it. I greatly enjoyed listening to this.

I'll start with The New Moon in the Old Moon's Arms. Yes--I can hear the influences of other composers in there, most notably (for me), Stravinsky. But it doesn't disturb my listening at all. One must remember what this piece was intended to be--it was commissioned for the millenium. I believe that its purpose was not to push *too* far--but to be a thing that people could connect with, envision. It is inventive, but at the same time *must* appeal to the familiar in order to accomplish its purpose. (The same goes for the Shostakovich-like part in "Marking Homework" in An American Symphony.) That, more than anything, embodies the spirit of Michael Kamen--he was all about bridging the gaps between genres and audiences that to him shouldn't have even existed in the first place. Look at his excellent work in the Metallica S & M project for another shining example of this "bridge-building" work, or the "Finale" of An American Symphony.

As to the symphony itself, I am quite pleased. Just as Michael did, I feel a great connection to the imagery and history of the Southwestern U.S., and particularly through the flute and percussion work I get that sense from it. Some pieces have darker parts in them--but there are also wonderfully bright sections to balance them out, such as a beautiful moment in "In the Moonlight" starting on Track 6 at about 5:35, where I envision seeing a thing that perhaps I feared...that is then revealed to be an object of great joy instead. The peace that comes from that is really very wonderful. The first track on "The Prayer" is also a particularly moving section, indeed the sort of uplifting thing I like as a backdrop for my meditations. The progression of the music throughout is "just unusual enough"--it can't be predicted by a first-time listener, but at the same time it does not go *too* far. I can't explain exactly how, but I can certainly hear certain signatures of Michael's throughout.

This CD also has all five parts of An American Symphony, which appeared in the movie Mr. Holland's Opus. I only saw the movie a few times in the years since it was released, and the *impressions* of the music, even if not the note-for-note particulars, burned themseves indelibly upon my brain. Among my favorites are the powerful "Iris" theme, and the hauntingly beautiful "Rowena". The latter is a tune that, upon seeing the movie a few weeks ago for the first time in years, became instantly familiar the second I heard it again--I felt as if I'd found a tune I'd been seeking for all the intervening time in my own musical meanderings. That, more than anything, ought to serve as a testament to what Michael wrote here. My only wish unfulfilled on this particular CD is that the mesmerising piano rendition didn't appear here. Trust me--it's worth renting or buying the movie to hear, and I hope very much you'll do that along with purchasing this CD.

The "Finale" now has a strange parallel meaning to what it held in the movie. The music program having been cut off suddenly, the students Glenn Holland has had over the years gather to give him a glorious send-off, and to prove to him that his career, even abruptly abbreviated as it was, had a tremendous influence. That influence is the legacy of him that they will carry in their hearts. So it is now with the man who was truly behind that music. The first symphony, too, is about legacy. The Anasazi people who actually created the art that inspired Michael are not here, either. But just as their tradition and their work has survived all these years, so will his, through a form of memory we know as music.

I truly hope you will open your hearts to the music and the memory...to know its power and joy.

--Written in memory of Maestro Michael Kamen

Absolutely Wonderful.......2004-02-17

This CD is fantastic! I bought it because I saw it had an English Horn solo on one of the songs and was starting to learn to play the instument at the time. I was extremely pleased with the rest of the songs as well. They have a very inspiring quality to them and there is not a song on here that is not positively fabulous. A must have for any person who loves classical music. It keeps with traditional motifs but at the same time goes far above and beyond those same motifs. This CD would be a valuable addition to any collection. It is very enjoyable to listen to and relax to the sounds of perfection.

Orchestral Kokopelli.......2003-02-11

For the casual fan of classical music this is perfect bllend of old and new themes. Although for even my non-classical ears it is a bit dense and overly done at times. At times the suite reaches such startling contrasts that you begin to wonder if indeed you are stil listening to the same disc. The build up to crescendos comes crashing down to earth, slowly building softly back up and soaring high in graceful flights of fancy amidst the clouds. In the second movement, "Kokopelli and the Eagle" and "The Prayer," a sense of peaceful tranquility is achieved prior to the transition into "Sunset." Michael Kamden paints pictures on his musical canvas that invoke the spirit of the past, the great southwest civilization of the Anasazi comes to life. When the flute plays amidst the symphonic orchestration it is as though you can envision Kokopelli playfully dancing and leading his people. If you read the song titles and close your eyes you will embark upon a musical journey across time and space. The native American imagery will capture your imagination as the music dances through your head. "Mr. Hollands Opus-An American Symphony" which is featured on the second half of the disc is an eloquent musical statement that is rich and stimulating. It is like having two discs as the music is quite different from the "symphonic poem." Obviously Michael Kamden is able to crossover to audiences oustide of those more attuned to the sublties of classical music. I found the music very relaxing and at times exhilirating. If you are a person who likes classical music but feels a bit intimidated by the scope of the music this disc is right for you. This is a highly entertaining disc with cinematic qualities.

Higly enjoyable and very derivative.......2001-02-05

I found Michael Kamen's on the Decca label (289 467 631-2) very enjoyable indeed but I think I spotted echoes of at least a half dozen other compositions from the past. The press release states that this symphonic poem is "original in sound and spirit but classical in its form." Dedicated as it is to the Native American Anasazi people who were more advanced than were many areas of Europe at the time, this piece uses the feelings of the past (the Old Moon) to foresee the future (the New Moon).

Instantly there spring to mind similarities with "Rites of Spring" and even "Billy the Kid," not to mention "Russian Easter Overture," along with a good dash of "Grand Canyon Suite" and several other works that evoke a mythical past. None of this makes the work any less enjoyable and a good case is made for it by the National Symphony Orchestra under Leonard Slatkin. In fact, I highly recommend it.

"Mr Holland's Opus--An American Symphony," which concludes the CD, is a lovely reminder of that popular film; and its four short movements (the longest lasting 4:35 minutes) profit by some classy casting such as having violinist Leila Josefowicz as soloist in the second movement. Very pleasant doings, this time with BBC Symphony Orchestra.

Now if the production people would stop this nonsense of printing the program notes in white over colored patterns so you can go blind trying to read them, we might appreciate the work even more.

Music Review: